Carriage holding device



Fab. 23, 1932, g, wlTHRQw 1,846,537

CARRIAGE HOLDING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1929 l D. 515,111, *E-

Patented Feb. 23, 13932 FFE v IRA L. WITHROW, OF GRAND RONDE, OREGON,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. PITTENGER, OF PORTLAND, OREGONCARRIAGE HOLDING DEVICE Application filed Apr-i1 25,

This invention relates generally to the logging industry, andparticularly to carriages tor cableway logging.

The main object of this invention is to provide a carriage holdingdevice which will prevent the carriage from running away in event thehaul-in line should break, thereby eliminating the possibility ofinjuring bystanders, tearing out the spar trees, or otherwise injuringthe rigging.

The second object is to facilitate the hauling of logs on steep upgradesby means of cableway carriages in instances where logs are deposited atthe top of the grade, and in which it is ordinarily difficult to releasethe Clicker hooks when the logs are lowered to the ground in view o'lthe fact that the carriage ordinarily runs backwards down hill.

These, and other objects, will become more apparent from thespecification following as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the carriage take along the line1-1 in Figure 2. Figure 2 is a broken vertical section taken through thecarriage along the line 2-2 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic viewshowing a logging operation in which the logs are being carried up ahill-side.

Similar numbers of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring in detail to the drawings, there is shown a common form ofintergeared logging engine having a haul-in drum 11 whose jhaul-in line12 passes through a sheave 13 of a fall block 14 and is made fast to aclevis 15 of the carriage about to be described.

The logging engine 10 also has a haul-back drum 16 who-se haul-back line17 is carried in a round-about manner to the tail tree 1S from which itis led to the fall block 14 and secured. v

The carriage about to be described is mounted on a standing line 19which is suspended between the tail tree 18 and the head tree 20. Thisarrangement is commonly known in the industry as the North Bend system,in which the drums 11 and 16 may be driven independently or in unison.When lifting the end of the logs free from the 1929. Serial No. 358,020.

ground it is necessary to wind up the haulin line 12 while the haul-backline 17 is held stationary, or at least to wind up the line 12 morerapidly than the line 17 is being paid out. It will be seen that eitherof these actions will cause the fall block 14, with its attached logs21, to rise from the ground 22. Vfhen the desired lift is secured thedrums 11 and 16 are operated in unison, or rather one hauls in its lineas rapidly as the other pays it out.. 'When the logs 21 are brought tothe pile 23, which in this instance is at the top of the hill, the loadis dropped and, due to the incline of the standing line 19, the carriageruns down the hill as t'ar as possi ble maintaining a suthcienttensionon the cholrers to make theirrelease a diiiicult matter.

ln order to overcome this ditculty the carriage is constructed asfollows: On the line 19 are mounted the grooved wheels 24 which are tiedtogether by the plate side frames through which pass the bolts 26 whichform the axles for the wheels 24. To the lower end of the trames 25 isattached the clevis 15 by means of a bolt 27 which passes through theslots 2 8 in the frames 25.

Between the frames 25 passes the standing line 19 upon which the wheels24 ride. Between the frames 25 and under the standing line 19 is a`brake shoe 29 of wood or other suitable material, preferably supportedby two pins 30 which can move in the slots 31 in the side frames 25,which permit the travel of the shoe 29 toward or away from the line 19.rlhe shoe 29 normally rests upon the head 32 o1E a push rod 33 whoselower end 34 is threaded into an eye 34-A through which passes the bolt27. A lock nut on the end 34 engages the eye 34-A. The push rod 33 alsopasses loosely through a spring adjust ing plate 35 which is supportedby the twov studs 36 which pass loosely through the bracket 37 which ismounted between the side trames 25. Adjusting nuts 38 on the studs 36permit the position of the plate 35 to be adjusted for the purpose ofregulating the tension on the spring 39, which is also placed on the rod33 between the head 32 and the plate 35.

rlhe operation ot the device is as follows: The tension of the spring 39having been adjusted, it is assumed that a load ot' logs has been pickedup by the manipulation of the lines 12 and 17, which load must be borneby the cle 7is 15 whose pin or bolt 27 has a limited movement within theslot 28, which movement however is sufleient to compress the spring 39suificiently far to draw the brake shoe 29 away from the line 19,thereby permitting a free travel orn the carriage.

Assuming now that the line 12 or its fastenings should become broken, itis clear that the logs 21. would immediately fall, together with thefall block 14, thereby removing almost completely the load which waspreviously suspended by the clevis 15. The spring 39 is now able to urgethe brake shoe 29 into frictional engagement with the line 19 andthereby eieetively prevent any considerable travel of the carriagebefore it is brought to a dead stop, instead of allowing` it to run downthe full length of the cableway at a terrific speed, which spellsdestruction for everything in its path.

Vile will now assume that no breakage has occurred and the load has beencarried up hill to the pile 23 and permitted to rest at the unloadingpoint, which would also remove the load from the spring 89, therebycausing the brake shoe 29 to grip the standing line 19 and hold thecarriage against movement to enable the operator to release the logsfrom the chokers 40.

it will be understood that the weight of the fall block 14 and theportions of the lines 12 and 17 which are attached to or pass throughthe fall block 14 is in most instances suiiicient to compress the spring39 so as to release the brake shoe 29. lf, however, at any time this isnot suiiicient, for example, after the load has been released, then itwill be 'found necessary to hold back on the haul-in line 12suiiiciently to produce the same eect as it' the fall block 14 wereactually suspended, until the haul-back line 17 takes the carriage tarenough out to actually permit the fall block to be suspended, afterwhich the sag on the lines 12 and 17 and the weight or the tall block 14will be sutlicient to completely free the carriage.

lWear on the shoe 29 is taken up by adjusting the rod 38 with relationto the eye 34A- It is a well known fact that numerous changes may bemade in the details of construction of this device, and while I do notclaim to be the original inventor of carriage holding devices, I dointend to cover all such forms and modifications of this device as fallfairly within the appended claim.

I claim:

A cableway carriage consisting of a pair of side frames, a pair ofgrooved wheels mounted in said side frames, a horizontal brake shoeslidably mounted between and below said VIRA L. VITHROV.

